Secrets are Best Told in the Dark
by BurgerOverLord
Summary: It has been years since the Empire has taken in the Nox Fleurets siblings in and no one has seen them since. They are given the pleasure of being in Lucis for a week and have to attend the ball in Lucis. Lunafreya doesn't want to go so she sends in her personal servant, Prompto. Prompto doesn't want to go wither but his mind quickly changes when he meets Noctis. (Also on AO3!)


"Luna, are you sure about this?" Prompto tried to look behind his shoulder at Lunafreya, who was trying to sew on a replacement button to the dress that Prompto wore.

"Of course not." She smiled when she heard him make a noise that was close to a squeak. "To be honest, I don't think we'll get very far in this plan."

"Then why are we doing this?! Are why am I the one that has to cover for you?" Prompto looked at himself in the mirror. Lunafreya had done an amazing job at fixing the dress to fit him. A floor-length white dress with lace sleeves that went down to his wrists and then connected to a ring of his middle fingers. The cut out on his back allowed most of his back to be on display. Although it was plain it was beautiful in his eyes.

"Because I am taking you to go see the chocobos. And you know how I feel about these over-glorified balls." Lunafreya's tongue poked out from between her lips as she finished sewing on the button connected to the neck piece. She put down the needle and thread she had and fastened the button, clapping Prompto on his shoulder to signal him she was done. She felt him tense up, "Don't worry Prompto. Ravus will be there with you."

Prompto glanced over his shoulder to the older Fleuret sibling who sat upon the one of the couches in the room. Heterochromatic eyes glared back at him. Prompto gulped and turned back to look at himself in the mirror, "Yeah, I'm still not sure this is going to work." Prompto loved Lunafreya- really he did, she was like the sister he never got- but this was borderline insane. Which is saying something considering she was the saner one out of them.

"Prompto," He met her eyes through the mirror, "Have I ever put you in a situation where something terrible has happened to you?" She smiled softly at him as she waited for an answer. Prompto shook his head, Lunafreya's smile growing, "So don't worry. Nothing will happen. All you have to do is show up, maybe talk with a few people, and then leave. It will be over before you know it. Now come sit down so I can put on the hair extensions." She reached around Prompto and tugged on his hair lightly. Prompto yelped and waved her hand away, rubbing the abused spot on his head. Lunafreya laughed and led him to a chair so she could begin to style his hair.

* * *

"Hurry up or else I'm leaving you here." Ravus called out over his shoulder as he made his way to the car waiting for them.

"Wait! I'm going as fast as I can!" Prompto watched his feet as he walked slower than he would have liked. He had never worn high heels before and he wasn't going to make his first time end up with a trip to the hospital due to a broken ankle. He pushed his now long hair out of his face so he could see his feet. Prompto wondered why Lunafreya left the hair down instead of pinning it up in her usual hairdo. It certainly would've been easier to watch his now dangerous feet. But alas, his new hair had been left alone to fall just below his shoulders. He found it a bit hard to get used to the new weight of his head due to the additional hair.

He finally caught up with Ravus and accepted the hand that was offered to him to help him into the car. The door was closed behind him and a second later the car lurched forward as it began its way to the Citadel. It wouldn't be that long of a trip, maybe twenty minutes at most, so Prompto didn't make himself too comfortable in the vehicle.

"So, who's going to be there?" Prompto broke the silence, turning his head towards Ravus.

Ravus sighed, "Some very important people so it would be in your best intentions _not_ to mess this up for us." He glanced at Prompto before sighing again, "This is such an asinine idea. Why Lunafreya would do this, I don't know." He was mostly talking to himself but Prompto heard him. He gave Ravus a one shouldered shrug and turned towards his window, watching the scenery of Insomnia whisk by.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence until the car finally pulled up to the Citadel. The door opened and, once again, Prompto accepted the hand that was extended out towards him. When he was out of the car he stared up at the skyscraper in front of him. It was tall; taller than anything he had seen. His eyes moved from the height of the building to the glow emanating from the center of the Citadel. If he recalls correctly, then that was the Crystal that holds up the wall that protects Insomnia.

He could've spent hours admiring the Citadel but a tug on his arm brought him back to reality. Ravus was leading him towards the entrance. Prompto concentrated on his heels as he climbed the stairs one at a time. At the top of the stairs, he noticed that there were more guests entering the Citadel. He followed them in, Ravus by his side.

They walked down some halls until they reached a grand door leading into an even grander room. From the outside Prompto could make out many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, tables lined with food, and many colorful outfits mingling with one another. Against the far wall of the room sat two thrones, one bigger than the other. No one sat in them, which made Prompto wonder if the rulers of Lucis were not at the ball yet.

Slowly the crowd waiting to get into the room shrunk until it was their turn. Ravus grabbed Prompto's hand and linked their arms together. Prompto looked at him questioningly but Ravus ignored him as he talked with the man standing by the doors. They took a few steps inside the room before stopping in front of another set of stairs.

"Lord Ravus and Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret." The man at the door shouted to the room before turning to the new guests approaching him.

Prompto and Ravus began their descent down the stairs, Prompto doing his best to ignore the stares aimed at him and instead focus on his steps. At the bottom of the stairs, Ravus let go of his arm and started to walk away. Prompto grabbed the sleeve of his frock, making Ravus look back at him.

"Wait up, I can't walk too fast in these things." Prompto made his way over until he stood beside Ravus.

Ravus removed his hand, "You are not supposed to follow me around like a lost puppy. I have my own business to attend to." He turned away to walk again but stopped when Prompto spoke up again.

"But I don't know anyone here. What am I supposed to do?"

"Luna!" A new voice shouted towards them, making them both look at the newcomer.

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum was making his way towards them, arm outstretched in a wave to catch their attention.

Ravus turned back to Prompto, "There you go. Have fun and stay out of trouble." With one last stern look, Ravus finally walked away from Prompto.

Prompto took in a deep breath as he turned towards his new companion, a small smile on his face. This guy was Lunafreya's soon-to-be husband, Prompto needed to be on his best behavior around him. All it would take is one wrong word or expression and the peace treaty between Niflheim and Lucis would go down the drain. Prompto had to make sure that he didn't do anything to upset the prince.

Noctis had stopped right in front of him and was returning his smile with an even bigger one of his own, "Luna, it's been forever. It's so good to see you again." Noctis reached out and clutched Prompto in a hug. Prompto tensed up quickly before returning the hug, patting Noctis on the back. Noctis released him, "You look so different, I almost didn't recognize you. You have freckles now. They look good on you." Noctis leaned in close to Prompto's face to get a better look at him.

Prompto felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he leaned away from Noctis, "Yeah, they just started appearing the more time I spent outside." Which wasn't necessarily a lie. Prompto had gotten freckles the more time he spent out in the sun. Lunafreya had never had freckles. But they weren't talking about Lunafreya they were talking about Prompto… sort of. "And you, you look different too. But in a good way! You look good." Prompto wondered if he could overheat from the blush on his cheeks. He was making a fool out of himself already, and in front of the crowned prince no less.

But Noctis had simply laughed and started to fiddle with one of the buttons on his suit jacket, "Really? I think I look the same as I did when I was a kid. Nothing has changed much."

Prompto tried to remember what Lunafreya had told him about Noctis in her briefing. He scrunched his face up in deep thought, "You still doze off all the time?" Was that what Lunafreya told him? Oh Gods, what if he messed up? What if he said something he shouldn't have? He is going to be the reason why the peace treaty fell through and everyone is going to blame him.

Prompto was meet with more laughter. He blinked up at Noctis in confusion. Noctis' laughter died down, "Yeah, I still do nap a lot. That is one thing that has never left me." They stared at each other in silence as neither of them thought of something to say. Noctis reached up and scratched the back of his head, "Do you want me to keep you company? Of course, you could go and say hello to everyone too. Nobody has seen you in years and I think they'll be thrilled to see you again. I just thought that it would be nice to catch up with each other." Noctis refused to meet Prompto's eyes as he rambled on, blush rising to his own cheeks.

Prompto chuckled. Noctis was the one getting embarrassed now instead of him? What a turn of events. "I would love to spend time with you, Noctis." Prompto gave him a soft smile.

Noctis gave him a grin, "Call me Noct." He held out his hand for Prompto, who gladly took it. Noctis lead Prompto around the room, not really having anything specific in his mind. He paused briefly in front of one of the many food tables, "Are you hungry? We have almost everything, but if there's something you don't see let me know and I'll have the chefs cook it up for you."

"No, that's quite alright. I already ate before we-" He glanced down at the table, "Holy Astrals, is that Spicy Long-Bone Rib Steak?" Prompto could feel his mouth salivating just by looking at the dish.

Noctis chuckled, "Yeah, it is. Do you like it?"

"Of course, dude! That's one of my favorite dishes!"

"Do you want some? You look about ready to pounce on the table." Noctis found it amusing to see Prompto, playing the normally calm Lunafreya, get so mesmerized by food.

"Ah," Prompto did his best to compose himself, "No. I was trying to say that I already ate before leaving." But Noctis knew better. He already had a plate and was putting one of the steaks on it for Prompto. Prompto tried to tell Noctis that it was alright, he wasn't hungry, but Noctis was holding out the plate for Prompto to take with a knowing look. Prompto sighed and took the plate, a quiet thanks leaving his lips. He held the steak up to his mouth and took a small bite, not wanting to make himself appear obscene by stuffing his mouth right off the bat. Flavor exploded on his tongue and he couldn't hold the moan that left him. He stared at Noct with wide eyes, hoping that he didn't hear his moan. But, of course, Noctis had heard it and laughed.

"That good, huh?" He raised his eyebrows in anticipation. He laughed again when Prompto nodded, "Most of the food tastes amazing. We have good cooks but no one can beat Specs." He moved to stand beside Prompto and pointed to the right of the thrones, "The one in the glasses is my advisor, Ignis. He has a soft spot for cooking, mostly because I can't cook to save my life." Prompto followed Noctis' finger and saw a tall man with an updo hairstyle and, like Noctis had said, glasses. He seemed to be observing the room, looking down at a notebook he had to scribble something down before returning his eyes back to the room.

"Well, he did an amazing job on this," Prompto took another bite of the savory steak, "I don't get this often but the times that I have gotten it cannot compare to this." The cooks in Niflheim were mostly kind and did their best but they had nothing on this Ignis guy. If he could put this much flavor in just one steak, imagine what he could put into a whole feast.

"Aren't you royalty? Do they not get you what you need?" Noctis watched Prompto as he finished the steak. He took the plate from him and threw the remains away.

Prompto mentally winced as he messed up, "They do. It just always slips my mind. I'm always occupied with my responsibilities so what I want for dinner ends up being something simple." He was glad for his fast thinking. He needs to be more careful to not accidently reveal that he is indeed _not_ Lunafreya.

Noctis hummed, "Why don't you write it down so you can remember it?" He smiled at Prompto and began to lead him through the room again. He stopped by one of the windows that lead out to the balcony. Prompto smiled back at him as he took the lead and pulled Noctis out onto the balcony.

It was much quieter on the balcony than in the grand room. On the balcony, the noises from inside seemed to become an undertone instead of the loud pulse of sound that it was inside. It was also darker out on the balcony. The light from the chandeliers only reached a few feet from the balcony door, leaving the stars to provide them with light. Compared to the room, the balcony was much smaller but neither of them said a word about it as they leaned against the railing, smiles still on their faces.

"I'm really glad that you're here, Luna." Noctis expected an answer, or something that told him he was heard, but nothing came. He turned towards the other, question hanging on his tongue, but stopped himself when he looked at Prompto.

The smile still rested on his face, small but there. His eyes were cast upwards as he looked at the millions of stars that hung overhead, illuminating everything that lay beneath them. The starlight gave him a glow that one would only hope to read about in a story. In the light of the stars, his hair seemed to be made of gold and his eyes looked as if they were sapphires. His white dress seemed to gleam brighter than anything Noctis had seen. He looked like a deity that so many people would swear they had seen, but never actually had the luck to catch a glimpse of.

Noctis had to stop himself from admiring Prompto before he was caught, "Luna? Luna, are you there?" Still, no answer came to him. He tapped Prompto on the shoulder, "Luna? Are you alright?"

Prompto jumped slightly when he felt the tap on his shoulder. He turned towards Noctis, concern prominent on his face. Prompto mentally scolded himself. He needs to pay attention or else he puts himself at risk for being caught.

"Are you okay, Luna? You seemed like you didn't hear me." Noctis turned his whole body to face Prompto.

Prompto mimicked Noctis' actions, "Sorry, I was just staring at the stars and thinking about how amazing they look. What were you saying?" Prompto smiled at him sheepishly.

Noctis grinned, "I was just saying how glad I am that you're here. I know I said this already but I haven't seen you in years, it's good to finally see you again. All we have are pictures from when we were little but you've changed so much. The pictures don't do you any justice anymore." Noctis' grin grew as he watched another blush rise to Prompto's cheeks.

"Thank you, Noct. You look different too," He threw his hands in front of him, "In a good way of course! The pictures I've seen of you are recent but you look better in person. And you're so kind and funny. You're like a two-for-one combo. Good looks and great personality rolled up in one person." Prompto needed to learn how to control his mouth from rambling on without his permission.

"Thanks, Luna," Noctis laughed, "You'd think that they would let you out more but I guess you're under heavy surveillance, huh?" He turned back towards the railing and rested his arm on it, head rested in his hand.

"Yeah, you can say that again." Prompto sighed, "Where ever I go, Ardyn seems to be not too far away. He's like a shadow that you can't shake off. He mostly leaves me alone when I'm doing my job but any other time you can bet he's somewhere close."

Noctis turned his head towards Prompto, "Ardyn? Ardyn Izunia? You know him?"

"Yeah, he's really big in the empire. He does a lot of things but he mostly deals with all the political operations. I think he was the one that came to settle the peace treaty."

It was Noctis' turn to sigh, "He was. I remember seeing him here when I was still young. Sucks that you have to be around him though," He glanced at Prompto from the corner of his eye, smirk appearing on his face, "That guy gives off a major creepy vibe."

Prompto's shoulders sagged in emphasis, "Tell me about it. He's always like," Prompto reached up and flattened his unruly hair before turning to Noctis, eyes half-lidded and lips forming a lazy smile, " 'Good evening, young one. Wonderful weather we're having, is it not? The perfect weather to just stand in the hall and stare at people until it freaks them out.' " Prompto did his best to imitate the strange accent Ardyn had.

Noctis laughed, "You got him spot on." He laughed even harder when Prompto started laughing too.

Their laughter was the only thing they could hear for the next couple of minutes. Tears had formed in their eyes and they were sure that one of them was going to bust a gut. Eventually the laughter died down and they were left staring at each other, large smiles the only evidence left of their laughing session.

The distant sound of violins brought Noctis' attention back to the ball that was happening inside. There were many people dancing in the middle of the room, the vibrant colors of many outfits swirling around the floor in different directions.

Noctis glanced back at Prompto, "Do you want to dance?"

"Dance? Me?" Prompto let out a nervous laugh as he shook his head, "I'm not too sure about that. I'm not a good dancer." He thought back on all the times he had actually danced. Most of them were with Lunafreya when they were bored and desperately in need of a break from the looming eyes of the empire. There were times when he would dance by himself in his room, but those dances were saved for special occasions. His dancing consisted of rapidly throwing his arms from side to side and jumping from place to place. When he thinks about it, it is a rather embarrassing way to dance. And he was _not_ going to dance with Noctis like that.

"It's alright, I'll guide you." Noctis grabbed Prompto's hand, pulled him back inside, and made a beeline to the middle of the room where everyone was dancing. As they approached, the people surrounding them seemed to notice who had appeared on the floor and moved to give the pair some space. Prompto noticed that the people around them seemed to be dwindling down and took a quick look around. He could feel sweat starting to appear on the back of his neck as he caught sight of the crowd forming on the outskirts of the dance floor watching them with eager eyes.

"Put your hands around my neck, Luna," Noctis looked up at Prompto when the other failed to follow his instruction. He placed his hand on Prompto's cheek and turned his head, forcing him to look at Noctis, "Don't worry about them. Just pay attention to me, alright?" He watched Prompto nod, "Good. Now put your arms around my neck," When Prompto did as he was told, Noctis placed his hands on Prompto's hips and pulled him closer. He smiled, "Now just follow my lead."

The violins started up again with a new song and Noctis began to move in a small circle, turning him and Prompto around aimlessly. While everyone else was going from one side of the room to the other and dipping their partner, Noctis and Prompto kept to themselves in their small circular dance. Prompto looked at bit baffled as he saw that their dancing was simplistic compared to the others.

Noctis laughed softly, "To tell you the truth, I can't dance either. Never really had the talent for it. But this," He took one of his hands from Prompto's hips, trailed it up his side to his arm, took his hand, and spun him around quickly. "This I can do."

Prompto smiled at him as he placed his arm around Noctis' neck again, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

They danced the whole song in their circular dance, not stopping until a hand clapped down on Noctis' shoulder. Noctis turned to see who had interrupted their dance and smiled when he saw his father.

Regis smiled back at his son, eyes moving to look at Prompto, "Lunafreya, how nice it is to see you again."

Prompto's eyes widen as he saw the king, automatically moving to bow before correcting himself to curtsy, "Your Majesty."

Regis laughed, "Please, Lunafreya. I've known you since you were a kid, call me Regis." He watched as Prompto stood back up and nodded, "It has been years since I have seen you. You've probably gotten that a lot tonight, haven't you?" Prompto nodded again, "That is understandable. After all, Niflheim has kept you away from everyone's eyes for years. Why is that?"

Prompto straightened up, knowing this answer like the back of his hand. Most of the meetings he has gone to were about his role as personal servant to Lunafreya and the things that were discussed were always the same so they ended up getting drilled into his head. "It's to make sure that nothing happens to the Oracle. There have been many assassination attempts on previous kings and Oracles that Niflheim has decided it would be best to protect the Oracle to their best, even if it means being shielded from everything. So that when the time comes, the marriage of the next king and Oracle can proceed without hesitation and the peace between the Niflheim and Lucis can continue on for many years." Prompto wanted to hit himself immediately afterwards. He needs to play the part of Lunafreya and he can't do that if he's spouting out things like a robot.

Regis raised an eyebrow but said nothing else, opting to nod his head to Prompto instead, "Well, as I said before, it is lovely to see you again. Noctis wouldn't stop talking about it and asking questions." He gave his son a sideways glance, small smirk appearing on his face.

"Okay, thank you, dad. You can go now." Noctis' cheeks turned red quickly as he tried to send his father somewhere else.

Regis laughed at his son and Prompto laughed along with him. Regis gave Prompto a wink before finally listening to his son and leaving.

Noctis huffed and turned to Prompto, cheeks still red, "So, where were we?"

* * *

Ravus didn't have to look hard for Prompto. All he had to listen for was his loud laughter and just follow it. He approached Noctis and Prompto, who were sitting in chairs against the wall, and waited patiently for their laughter to die down.

Prompto had no idea what they were laughing at anymore but he didn't care. He liked laughing and he liked it even more with Noctis by his side. But eventually all good things come to an end. They stopped laughing, tears in their eyes and chest heaving as they struggled to get air into their lungs.

Ravus cleared his throat. Prompto looked up at him as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Hey, Ravus. Do you need something?"

Ravus nearly rolled his eyes, "Yes. It is time for us to leave. The car is waiting for us outside."

"What? But we just got here."

Ravus actually rolled his eyes this time, "No, we've been here for six hours. This place is nearly deserted and I think it is time we took our leave."

Prompto looked around the room to see that, just as Ravus had said, the room barely had anyone in it except for a few guests still mingling about and some servants beginning to clean up. Prompto looked back at Ravus, "But do we have to leave? Can't we stay just a few more hours?"

"No, _Lunafreya_ , we must leave. Don't you think that they will begin to wonder where we are at this hour?" Ravus narrowed his eyes at Prompto, making sure his point got across.

Prompto sighed and turned towards Noctis, "I'm sorry, Noct. Seems like I have to go now." He stood up and started to follow Ravus, who had already started to make his way to the exit.

Noctis quickly stood up and grabbed Prompto's hand, "Wait, Luna," Prompto turned around. Noctis let go of his hand and started to run the back of his head, nervousness suddenly coming to him, "Do you want to hang out tomorrow? I mean, I know that you're here for the week and we had a lot of fun today so why not hang out some more? Of course we don't have to." Noctis was rambling on now.

Prompto smiled at him, "I'd love to."

A huge smile broke out across Noctis' face, "Great! I'll get your address from my dad and I'll pick you up tomorrow morning." Prompto nodded to him and started to move back towards Ravus, waving at Noctis as he left.

Ravus was quiet on their way out of the room and to the car. Normally he was quiet and it cause an unsettling feeling to overcome Prompto, but this time he didn't mind it as he walked next to Ravus to the car. He accepted the help he was offered as he got into the car. Ravus was still silent as the car started to leave the Citadel. It wasn't until a few minutes had already passed did he finally speak up.

"So are you planning on sending Lunafreya out on the date tomorrow or are you going to continue to be her?"

Prompto's smile left his face quickly as he covered his face with his hands, loud groan leaving his mouth. He was so screwed.

* * *

Hey y'all. ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

I'm going to be honest with y'all. I ain't got no plans for this story. Like, I'm drawing a blank for this story. So if y'all wanna send me in dome ideas that would be lovely. Who knows, maybe I'll choose your idea and use it. But until I think of ideas, this story will be on hiatus. Sorry.

Excuse any OOCness. I'm terribly sorry about that.

Kudos and comments are always welcome!


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